ROM Hacking Resources
General Resources *ROMHacking.net - This is like a hub where the various hacking communities meet. It hosts a large variety of major ROM hacks and translations. Also hosts numerous FAQs and tools to help aspiring hackers get started. *Data Crystal - A wiki hosted by ROMHacking.net. While it is a bit outdated at this point, it is still a good resource for information about different editors and links to a handful of prominent hacks. *FuSoYa's Niche - Site of the creator of the popular Super Mario World editor, Lunar Magic. Also hosts a set of tools for ROM expansion, patching, compression, etc. *Zophar's Domain - A site that hosts lots of smaller patches, such as spoofs, as well as a significant amount of major ones. Hosts a lot of content that can't be found on ROMHacking.net Programs General purpose 2D graphics/tile editor Tile Molester. Works with Java, practically can edit any game. Hex Editor XVI32 or Translhextion. You can edit the bytes of the ROMs, i.e. everything. Some values are obvious and some text is already ASCII. Game Specific Super Mario World *Super Mario World Central - The largest site dedicated to SMW hacking. Hosts hundreds of hacks and is a resource for SMW hacking utilities and knowledge. Also has a very active community and forums. *X-Mario - Prominent Japanese site that hosts a variety of hacks. Worth noting is that Japanese hacks are usually more reliant on creating challenging gameplay and are less flashy or graphically modified than their Western cousins. *Raocow's Talkhaus - The community for the most prominent let's player in SMW hacking. Whether or not you enjoy his commentary, this site remains a great resource for discovering hacks, as the community here is generally focused on hacks that the SMW Central community doesn't cover. *VIP Wiki - Japanese wiki dedicated to the development of 2channel's series of popular hacks, the VIP & Wall Mix series. Hosts the 5 current installments and news about the sixth, currently a work in progress. Super Metroid *Metroid Construction - The most prominent and active Super Metroid hacking community currently. Hosts a large variety of hacks, resources, FAQs, and an active community and forum. Originated in m2k2 before becoming its own dedicated site. *Metroid Construction Wiki - As its name implies, a wiki created by the Metroid Construction community. *Metroid 2002 - The former most prominent and active Super Metroid hacking community previously. While it has since been foregone in favor of Metroid Construction, it can still be a valuable resource for knowledge about the more advanced mechanics and inner workings of Super Metroid (as well as other games in the series). The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past *Zelda Construction - Despite its huge popularity, the hacking community for ALttP is relatively small. This is mainly due to the lack of a truly good editor, though one is in the works. This community is a spin-off of Metroid Construction devoted to hacking of ALttP and other games in the series. EarthBound *Starmen.net - Home of the hacking utility PK Hack, an editor for modifying the EarthBound/Mother 2 ROM. Has an active hacking community in the PK Hack section of its forums, where links to completed hacks can also be found. Yoshi's Island *Super Mario World Central - In addition to Super Mario World, smwcentral is a budding hub for Yoshi's Island hacking. While it only hosts a few complete hacks, the community is very active, and new content is being produced at a consistent pace. *YI Hacking Wiki - A knowledge base for Yoshi's Island hacking. Final Fantasy III (VI) *FF6 Hacking - Home to a large community of Final Fantasy VI hackers, complete with active forums, links to patches, and FAQs and guides for those looking to get into hacking the game. Final Fantasy Tactics *Final Fantasy Hacktics - Community for FFT hacking with a variety of completed hacks, patches, and resources. Fire Emblem *Fire Emblem Shrine - An active and prominent Fire Emblem hacking community. Hosts a variety of completed hacks and FAQs to get you started. *Serenes Forest - Another active and prominent Fire Emblem hacking community, though perhaps a bit more active than Fire Emblem Shrine. Pokémon *The PokéCommunity - Very active (and helpful) Pokémon hacking community. Sonic the Hedgehog *Sonic Retro - The largest resource for hacks and modifications of the Sonic series (primarily focused on the Genesis games). Mega Man X *MegaED X - Two different Mega Man X editors with support for X2. Downloads ROM Hacks